Before the Flood

Long ago, before our world, there was another. 

There was a Flood once, or so I have heard. It was vast and terrible in the way that only the greatest of disasters can be, a cataclysm so total in its destruction that when it swept the world, there was nothing left.

This is not the story of that Flood. This is not the story of how it came to pass, or what it broke, or what came after.

This is the story of the world that came before it, a world lost to the sands of time and the waters of inevitability. This is the story of when magic was material, and the ones like us were lions on the prairie. This is the story of Before the Flood.

Before the Flood is a map-making game for six players about working together to discover a world that existed long before our own. Each player will take on the mantle of one of the fundamental forces that shaped this world, using their own unique mechanics, tools, and perspective to create a map of the world that existed before it was all washed away.

The world is built through the collaboration of six mantles: Land, Legend, Nature, Nation, Weal, and Woe.

Land is the mantle of the earth itself, carving valleys and building mountains. It is that which marks the map while the rest deliberate over details.

Legend is the mantle of histories, those stories that only become greater as they are lost. It is the adviser to both Nature and Nation, and that which marks the details that Land does not.

Nature is the mantle of all that is wild and untamed, the magic and mundane that grows from that which is left untended. It is that which sprouts landmarks as a matter of course, growing ever larger as it does.

Nation is the mantle of the forces of humanity, in all their glory and hubris. It is that which builds landmarks with structured purpose, forever looking to better its odds and create something more.

Weal is the mantle of good fortune, sharing its joy with all those who would take it. It is that which pulls meaning from the arcane and promises the sunrise will come again.

Woe is the mantle of ill fortune, but I ask you not to assume their intent. It is often the worst times that bring out the best in us, and while their game can be difficult to understand from the outside, they only seeks to bring the world closer together.

Before the Flood is a lushly illustrated, beautifully produced game with over 70 pages of artwork and written content for you to enjoy. The game was written by Nicholas Ambrose and Sylvan Lawrence, and was edited by Dominique Dickey. Art by Reese Hill, and layout & design by MC Bacon.